Steam-trap.



T. e. RAKESTRAW.

STEAM TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2, 1915.

l 9 1 96$3 Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- z RE fJM W n1; NORRIS perms 0a.. PNO!D-LI1N0..WASHINGTON. u c

T. G. RAKESTRAW.

STEAM TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 2. I915.

Lwfims. Patented Aug. 29,1916.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2- WITNESSES:

fJK/VM f $0 A TTOR/l/EY THOMAS Gr. RAKESTRAW, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

STEAM-TRAP.

Continuation of application Serial No. 777,385, filed July 5, 1913.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 19316.

This application filed October 2, 1915.

Serial No. 53,858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS G. RAKE- STRAW, citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Steam-Traps, and declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, suchas will .enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a combined water feed for boilers and steam trapof the tilting type, shown in the accompanying drawings and moreparticularly pointed out in the following specification and claim.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an effective andinexpensive apparatus adapted to deliver water to the boiler from a feedwater heater, or the condensation from a heating system.

Another feature of the invention consists in dispensing with the usualcounterpoise weight employed in this type of apparatus to support thetrap in position to receive the returns from the heating system, whichwhen suflicient to overcome the action of the counterpoise weight causesthe trap to tilt,thereby opening a steam valve by means of which boilerpressure is delivered to the trap. The trap being located above theboiler upon the steam entering it, the water passes by gravity to theboiler and when discharged the weight again becomes operative causingthe tank to return to its initial position to again receive the returnsfrom the heating system.

Dne object of the present invention is to dispense with the counterpoiseweight referred to, and to provide a pair of receiving tanks connectedtogether and supported upon trunnions in a suitable frame, the weight ofthe water delivered to the trap serving to alternately maintain one ofthe tanks in position to receive the feed water or the returns from aheating system while the other tank is delivering the water previouslyreceived to the boiler, thus providing for a rapid and practicallycontinuous How of water to one, or a battery of boilers as may berequired.

Other advantages and improvements will hereafter appear.

7 nections.

In the drawings accompanying this specification :Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the apparatus indicating in dotted lines the tanks intilted position. Fig 2 is a plan v ew of the same. Fig. 3 is a detailsectional v1cw of one of the trunnions and pipe con- Fig. A is a detailsectional view through the relief valve. Fig. 5 is a sectional viewthrough one of the receiving tanks with parts broken away showing thepipe connections leading to and from the tank. Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryelevation of one of the tanks in its elevated position with the valveclosed controlling the delivery of the steam thereto. Fig. 7 is anelevation of the tank in its tilted position showing the steam valve(actuated through its tilting action) open for the delivery of steam tothe tank. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of the valve controlling thedelivery of steam to the trap.

Referrlng now to the letters of reference placed upon the drawings: A,A, indicate a pair, of tanks designed to be located above a boiler (notshown) and connected together by one or more tie rods or frame work a.

B, denotes a T from which extend the pipes B, B, leading to therespective tanks A, A, under control of check valves B B designed toalternately close preventing the delivery of water to the respectivetanks and to retain boiler pressure within said tanks.

B 1, is a nipple (serving as a trunnion) extending from the T B, into asuitably packed connection B carried by the pipe B leading from aheating system or a feed water heater (not shown).

C, is a T, from which project pipes C, 0, leading to the respectivetanks A, A, under control of check valves C C C is a nipple extendingfrom the T C, serving as a trunnion and connecting the nipple with asuitably packed joint C car- .ried by a pipe leading to the boiler (notshown).

D, is a T, from which extend steam pipes D, D, leading to the bottom ofthe respective tanks. V

(Z, indicates a pipe within each of the tanks provided with a goose neckat its top and connected below with the respective pipes D, D.

D is a nipple extending from the T D, into a suitably packed connectionD and,

carries the steam pipe D leading to the boiler.

The connections D C and B are in the same axial alinement and serve tosupport the trunnions of the tilting tanks.

D denotes a valve to control the delivery of steam from the boilerthrough the pipe 13*. D D, are steam valves respectively located inthepipes D, D, each of which is provided with a weighted controlling leverD adapted to be automatically tripped by the arms E, E, projecting fromthe standards or frame E, when the trap is tiltedin alternatedirections. I

F, denotes a suitable relief valve located at the top ofeach of thetanks. That shown being provided with a projecting stem f, having acollar 7, against which a spring 7, bears to force the valve to itsseat.

E E are arms extending fromthe frame E, over each of the tanks A, A,respectively, serving when the trap tilts to automatically trip thevalveF, of the tank from which the water has been last discharged to relievethe boiler pressure therein that the returns from the heating system orthe water from the feed heater may be again delivered to V the tank. 7

Having thus indicated the several parts byreference letters, theconstruction and operation of the apparatus will be readily unvderstood.

As previously indicated, the apparatus is located above the boiler andsuitable connection made between the feed water heater or the returnsfrom the steam heating system andthepipe B and also between the boilerand the joint O and the pipe D. It will be assumed that the feed waterheater or heating returns first enters the left hand tank, the weight ofthe same overcomes the weight of the right. hand tank, the trap iscaused to tilt as indicated in dotted lines in in Fig. 1,and thereuponthe lever D of the left hand valve D coming in contact with theprojecting arm E, carried by the frame E, is caused to tilt opening thevalve delivering steam from theboiler through the pipe 03, into the bodyof the left hand tank establishing therein boiler pressure. The water inthe tank is now free to pass by gravity out through the left hand pipeC, past the left hand check valve C through the T C, and jointconnection C to the boiler ;the boiler pressure holding the right handcheck valve C next to the elevated tank closed, in order that the watermay only pass from the depressed tank to the'boiler, as will be readilyunderstood. It will now be assumed that the elevated or right hand tankhas received acharge of condensation or feed water sufficient toovercome the weight of the depressed tank, thereby causing the apparatusto tilt in the opposite direction to that just described, which actionwill cause the steam valve D, on the right hand side to open due to thelever D coming in contact with the arm E, of the right hand standard,thereby delivering boiler pressure to the right hand tank, as in theprevious case, thereby permitting the Water in the right hand tank toflow by gravity to the boiler. The valve D, connected with the left handtank, however, Will be closed through the action of its weighted lever,thus shutting off boiler pressure to the left hand tank, while the armE, on the left hand standard will depress the stem f, of the reliefvalve F, of the left hand tank against the action of the spring P,relieving the tank of boiler pressure previously delivered thereto, inorder that condensation or feed water may again pass to the tank. Uponthe water entering the pipe B it passes through the connection B and theT B, past the check valve B of the then elevated tank, the oppositecheck valve B being closed by the boiler pressure in the tank as beforeexplained. The filling and discharging of the respective tanks and theoperation of the valves are alternately repeated so long as the deliveryof water to the boiler may be required or desired.

It will be seen that while the apparatus is simple and inexpensive inits construction, it provides for a practically continuous delivery ofwater from the feed water heater or of the returns from a heating systemfor one, or a battery of boilers.

While the several trunnions supporting the tanks are shown as separatefittings, it is obvious that a suitable casting may be employedproviding the necessary connections for the several pipes leading to andfrom the tanks and thus simplify the assembling and proper alinement ofthe parts,the construction shown in the drawings, however, has 1beenfound efficient and entirely practica Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is v In an apparatus of the character described,a suitable frame including spaced uprights, a pair of tilting receivingtanks connected together and supported upon trunnions that they may tiltas a single unit, each tank having a relief valve and each uprighthaving a lateral projection extending over the respective tank, suitablepipe connections to convey water to the respective tanks, check valvescontrolling the delivery of water through said pipes, pipe connectionsleading from the tanks to a boiler, check valves controlling said lastnamed connections, a steam pipe connection between the boiler and eachof the tanks, and steam valves adapted to be automatically opened andclosed to govern the alternate delivery of steam through said pipeconnection With the re- In testimony whereof, I sign thisspecifispective tanks actuated through the tilting cation in thepresence of two Witnesses.

of the trap upon alternate delivery of the water to the respective tanksand the relief 'DHOMAS G. RAKESTRAW. valves of the tanks being broughtalternately into engagement With the respective lateral Witnesses:

projections of said uprights to operate the SAMUEL E. THOMAS,

relief valves. LAURA DUFF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of JPatenta, Washington, D. 0.

